Drunk on Drank

As Americans down energy drinks to keep them peppy, a new beverage aims to help people relax.

Drank, launched by Houston-based Innovative Beverage Group in January, bills itself as an "anti-energy" drink. The grape-flavored soda contains valerian root (a natural sedative), rose hips (high in Vitamin C and used to treat nervousness) and melatonin (the hormone that tells your body it's time to sleep).

Inspired by the "slow, smooth style" of the hip-hop community, Drank claims to "slow your roll."

After drinking a third of a 16-ounce can of the purple concoction recently, my roll was definitely slowed.

My eyelids grew heavy; my thinking felt sluggish. This is not a beverage to drink on any empty stomach as soon as you get to work in the morning.

I drank a large coffee to get myself out of La-La Land, and even then I felt an unusually strong urge to curl up and nap.

Company spokesman Kenny Davidson said he sometimes drinks a Drank before bed to help him sleep through the night. There are no side effects, he said, though the can warns that the beverage can cause drowsiness.

To Stress Institute CEO Kathleen Hall, who had not heard of Drank before I told her about it, such products are not a good de-stress solution.